Google Search

7/31/17

The Rogan's
List Team is on vacation from July 30 through August 13,
but because of the extension of the Senate calendar we have decided to run a
smaller list during this time. We look forward to being back to the full list
on August 14.

text your US postal address to (520) 200-2223 and get a text back
with their contact information.

1.This week in Congress: The House is
on recess until Sept. 5. The Senate will be in session through Friday,
Aug. 11. The one item on the schedule right now for Monday, July 31 is
continued consideration of the nomination of Kevin Newson of Alabama as a judge
of the US Court, 11th Circuit. https://www.senate.gov/legislative/calendars.htm
Let's tell our Senators that we oppose Newsom. "As Alabama's
solicitor general, he spent much of his time defending the state’s ability
to execute people, and in 2005, he expressed regret at the Supreme Court’s
ruling that it is unconstitutional to execute juveniles." http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/06/14/trump-judicial-nominees-civil-rights-newsom-bush-schiff-215253 Let's
also stay vigilant in watching for nominee confirmation hearings and a possible
additional try at Trumpcare.

2.Trump had a vigorous
tweet-storm on Saturday about health care and other topics. There are
signals from the GOP in the Senate that their health care efforts are not
done: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/29/senate-republicans-obamacare-repeal-241128 Please let your Senators
know that they need to return to a respectful and dignified path of bipartisan
committee work with hearings and opportunity for comment if their goal is to
improve health care in the United States.

3.It is becoming clearer that Trump
broadsided military brass with his ill-conceived transgender military ban as
announced via Twitter while Secretary of Defense Mattis was on vacation: http://thehill.com/policy/defense/344391-trump-transgender-decision-rattles-pentagon Let’s use this time to
express our concern to Secretary Mattis about the ban and about what Trump’s
process signals about making critical decisions in the future: Secretary James
Mattis, 1000 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC, 20301

4.We
know that Trump wants Sessions out of the AG position and he could have his
golden opportunity while the Senate is on recess in August because if the
Senate is not in session for ten days in a row, Trump could make a replacement
that does not require confirmation. However, before they leave, the
Senate could invoke a procedural option called "pro forma sessions,"
during which they are on recess only three days at time thereby requiring a
Senate confirmation for any appointment. http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/343643-senate-dems-warn-they-will-block-recess-appointments Let's
contact our senators and ask them to do just this.

Other Actions

1.The vast majority of Americans think
money has too much influence in politics, and with the opportunity to fill a
Supreme Court seat with someone who understands that money isn’t speech lost to
Trump we’re going to need to elect politicians who will amend the Constitution.
(http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/money-has-too-much-influence-politics-say-americans).
Let’s join American Promise in asking candidates to take the pledge to end
unlimited spending our elections. We can sign up here, and register here for a
conference call on their candidate pledge effort August 1st.

2.The Action
Group Network is holding virtual and in-person Resistance 101 trainings
throughout August to connect folks with skills, resources and coaching to keep
resisting in the long term. After the training, you’ll be connected with a
dedicated and experienced coach who is available to support you long term as
you develop strategies, plan actions and tackle challenges head on. Those of us
who are interested can register at this
link.

The Rogan's
List Team is on vacation from July 30 through August 13, but
because of the extension of the Senate calendar we have decided to run a
smaller list during this time. We look forward to being back to the full list
on August 14.

So
far this year, the Department of Education has not accepted any
applications for student loan forgiveness for those who have been
defrauded by their schools. Under the Borrower Defense Rule, students can
apply to have loans forgiven in cases where the school used illegal
measures to push students to borrow more money http://bit.ly/2v7P22Q Let's tell
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos that this delay of federal student loan
relief is unacceptable and that she needs to process these applications
ASAP https://twitter.com/BetsyDeVosED

Representative
Labrador (R-ID) has introduced the Refugee Program Integrity Restoration
Act of 2017 (H.R. 2826) which would place additional, unnecessary,
restrictions on refugees attempting to enter the United States. The
security screening and vetting process is already incredibly rigorous and
effective, and is detailed in this helpful pdf from the U.S. Committee for
Refugees and Immigrants: http://bit.ly/2w81Seu Let's
tell our Representatives to oppose H.R. 2826. 5calls has helpful
background information and a call script https://5calls.org/issue/recOjzFukqfi0c3Dd

UT: Primary Ballots are on their way to Utah mailboxes for
the August 15 primary
election. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865685480/Primary-ballots-on-their-way-to-Utah-mailboxes.html Early
voting starts Aug.
1. Let's check out this article for important election
dates and other information. GOP primaries are closed in Utah so we must
be registered as Republican to vote in the Republican primary. The
deadline to switch parties has passed. However, if we are
unaffiliated, we can still register as Republican at the polls or online.

Molly Ivins was an American
newspaper columnist, author, political commentator, and humorist who was
legendary. There is a new
documentary about her life being made called Raise Hell.
Let’s check her to read more about Molly and how we can support this work:
http://mollyivinsfilm.com/

Save EPA,
a volunteer organization of former Environmental Protection Agency
staffers, has recently published a guide
for activists working against the Trump administration’s
rolling back public protections issued by any federal agency. http://www.hillheat.com/files/GuidetoresistingEPADereg.2017.pdf
Let’s use this guide to help direct our environmental efforts.

Marches/events to attend/organize

Today,
all over the country, there are “Our Lives are on the Line” rallies being
planned in opposition to the health care bill. Let’s see if there is one near us and attend, or if not,
let’s plan one: http://ourlivesontheline.org/

text your US postal address
to (520) 200-2223 and get a text back with your

STATE & FEDERAL
legislative rep phone numbers.

In
their desperation to rid themselves of the ACA, late in the night the
Senate GOP hastily crafted their 8-page skinny bill, The Freedom Health
Care Act and the vote commenced.
Sen. Collins (R-MA), Sen. Murkowski (R-AK), and Sen. McCain (R-AZ)
voted against it to bring it to defeat. Both the bill itself and the
process were to blame. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/7/28/16054700/senate-obamacare-repeal-john-mccain-susan-collins-lisa-murkowski Let's take the day to congratulate ourselves and rest, then, let’s thank all the senators who voted against this harmful bill. Most importantly, let's remind ALL our MoCs that we are pro-healthcare voters and we will use our
votes in upcoming elections and that we now expect some healthy bipartisan
work from them.

Trump’s proposed 2018 budget is a vicious attack on critical programs in
almost every corner of the federal budget… and yet he found $23 billion of
our tax dollars to put into the boots, walls, and detention facilities
that make up his out-of-control deportation machine, and so far
Congressional Republicans are giving him most of what he wants. (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-11/house-republicans-1-6-billion-border-wall-plan-sets-up-fight) Let’s join Indivisible in calling our
members of Congress and telling them to oppose funding for Trump’s
deportation agenda. We can get more information here.

From Grandmothers
in Action: The so-called Election Integrity Commission is a
disgrace. Its first act was to request of all Secretaries of State
not only their voter rolls, but each voter's party registration, voting
history and the last four numbers of the Social Security number.
Luckily, most Secretaries have refused. The Commission's purpose is
perfectly clear: to restrict as much as possible the votes of minorities
and the poor. Let's make sure it gets disbanded before it can do
more harm. A number of House and
Senate Democrats have introduced the Anti-Voter Suppression Act, S. 1547,
to eliminate the Commission. The bill has been referred to the
Committee on Rules and Administration, chaired by Sen. Richard Shelby of
Alabama and where Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is the Democratic
ranking member. We urge you to contact your Congressional delegation about
the importance of this bill and urge them to pass the bill out of
committee before the Commission further destroys our voting system.
And we hope you will urge your friends and relatives to make these
calls too.

The
House Appropriations Committee passed the House budget plan along with the
Andy Harris Amendment, which prohibits the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission from collecting data related to employees' wages and hours
worked http://bit.ly/2vbFkNIhttp://bit.ly/2w3Iyz2 With this amendment
in place, funding is removed from a program which would have expanded wage
transparency; something which is sorely needed as equal pay is still a
huge issue in our country. Let's be sure to call our reps, to let them
know that we do not support this amendment. We can also be vocal on
Twitter on Monday, July 31st for
#BlackWomensEqualPay Day; via MomsRising: " Black women have to
work ALL of 2016 + an extra 212 days in 2017 to earn what White men earned
in 2016 alone. This is because Black women are typically paid just 63¢ for
each $1 paid to White men." http://bit.ly/2vMMB3z We
can find more actionable ideas at the Equal Pay Today website: http://www.equalpaytoday.org/black-womens-equal-pay-day/

Other Actions

From
one of our own: I know that the
last few months have contained too much political drama for many of us and
we are feeling somewhat dispirited. So I have a plan! How about
this: on August 10th send out at least 5 postcards to people you
know and admire that have been sources of encouragement these last dismal
months. Send out more if you wish. Let’s spread some good
cheer and give folks something to smile about. Thanks.

Swing
Left has launched "District Funds," a new tool to help
fundraising efforts for Democratic candidates in swing districts https://swingleft.org/fundraise They
also offer a fundraising guide to help make our fundraising events as
successful as possible http://bit.ly/2tGlLsx Let's
check it out and help out our candidates in nearby swing districts.

We've been hearing a lot about
gerrymandering. There are two types: racial gerrymandering and
partisan gerrymandering. We can read this Vox article about the two
types and watch the included short video to increase our understanding:
https://www.vox.com/videos/2017/7/24/16012440/racial-partisan-gerrymandering-redistricting-supreme-court-video Since the Republican regime
seems determined to gerrymander large areas of Republican voters (partisan
gerrymandering), we can help them out by registering as Republicans.
If we are currently non-partisan or independent, let's consider
changing our registration to "Republican." Our
registration does not effect who we choose to vote for or give money to.
In closed-primary states, it will also open up our ability to vote in
Republican primaries. If enough of us join in, we will be able to
change the direction of the Republican party from the inside. (For
those of us familiar with the children's Dr. Seuss story "The
Sneetches", registering as Republicans can be our "star-on"
machine.)

The
U.S. has one of the worst maternal and infant mortality rates of any
wealthy nation. Infants in the U.S. are less likely to make it to their
first birthdays than babies in other wealthy nations and our maternal
death rates have increased steadily over the past 20 years. Join MomsRising this Monday, July 31,
8-9pm ET for a Twitter Storm at #MaternalJustice with
March of Dimes, Black Mamas Matter Alliance and Society for Maternal-Fetal
Medicine as we share info and stats on infant and maternal health. Also
please share YOUR birth story or the birth story of someone you love to
make a difference! Click here to
share your birth story: http://moms.ly/2uxRejs

Marc Ryan, Eagle Scout, father,
scout executive, posted what most thought should have come from the
national Boy Scouts of America office when he wrote this apology on the
Facebook page of the Lake Erie Council of the BSA: https://www.facebook.com/LakeErieBSA/posts/1597850970261230
Let’s take the time to thank him for taking a stand on Trump’s
presentation at the Jamboree. Marc
Ryan, Greater
Cleveland Council, 2241
Woodland Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44115.

Want yet another way to
contact federal legislators? Electronic Frontier
Foundation, the leading nonprofit organization defending civil
liberties in the digital world, has developed Democracy.io, a website
where we can enter our address, find our MoCs, and write them
messages. Let’s check it out
here: https://democracy.io

Petitions

Let’s
join in this Credo petition to "Oppose the Orphan Product Extensions
Now (OPEN) Act, which would grant drug manufacturers six additional months
of exclusivity, the monopoly power that allows the companies to charge as
much as they like."https://act.credoaction.com/sign/no_pharma_monopolies

Marches/events to attend/organize

Saturday,
July 29, all over the country, there are “Our Lives are on the Line”
rallies being planned in opposition to the health care bill. Let’s see if there is one near us and
attend, or if not, let’s plan one:
http://ourlivesontheline.org/

Again,
we know it is purely distraction, but despite that fact that in early July
Gen. Mattis, defense secretary, moved to delay the admission of openly
transgendered persons into the military for further study and the fact
that he is currently on vacation, and that thousands of transgendered
persons are already serving, yesterday, Trump tweeted that they would no
longer “accept or allow” them to serve due to the burden of the cost and
disruption . http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/343847-trump-calls-for-ban-on-transgender-individuals-in-military
This announcement serves as a huge
set back for transgender rights, and does not detail what will happen to
those service members who have already come out as transgender. This
discriminatory policy is cruel and stigmatizing, and even Republicans have
condemned it. But words aren’t enough.
Let’s contact our reps and tell them to add language to the
“security-bus” spending bill to overturn the ban, then let's make sure the
White House, Secretary of Defense, and our members of Congress understand
that banning openly transgender individuals is unacceptable and ask how
they plan to handle other expensive or disruptive situations among our
service members. White House:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis:
Secretary of Defense 1000 Defense Pentagon Washington, DC 20301-1000 703-571-3343

The head of the Immigration and Customs
Enforcement unit in charge of deportations has directed his officers to
take action against EVERY undocumented immigrant they cross paths with,
including those with zero criminal history. Congress has traditionally
used its annual spending bill to instruct the Secretary of Homeland
Security to prioritize the deportation of convicted immigrants based on
the severity of their crimes… but that language was left out of the
omnibus spending bill for the current fiscal year, paving the way for
broader enforcement. https://www.propublica.org/article/ice-officers-told-to-take-action-against-all-undocumented-immigrantsBut we’re about to enter a new fiscal year, and congressional
Republicans are busily trying to finalize the language for new spending
bills. Let’s contact our members of Congress and ask them to restore this
instruction, so that our friends and neighbors will be a little less
vulnerable to Trump’s deportation machine.

The Republicans have made it
clear that their priority is cutting taxes for the wealthy, and they’ll
happily hurt regular Americans to do it. With the Resistance having beaten
#Wealthcare, they’re focusing explicitly on a new package to make the 1%
pay less. But to do it, they’re going to have to pass reconciliation
instructions in the next budget so that Democrats can’t block them in the
Senate. http://www.npr.org/2017/07/19/537959833/heres-whats-in-the-house-republican-budget-and-why-it-matters Their budget proposal is bad
enough on its own, and our reps should oppose it. But they also need to
know we’re onto their game, and that as far as we’re concerned if they
vote yes on the budget they’re voting yes on whatever package of tax cuts
for millionaires and billionaires the GOP comes up with. Let’s call them
and tell them so.

From
Indivisible: There are many things to deplore in Trump's proposed budget,
but here's one item that stands out because of the funding splurge he
wants. "Call your MoCs today and let them know that no budget
that includes increases to Trump’s deportation force or any funding for
Trump’s mass deportation agenda should get their support, even if that
means withholding the votes needed to avert a government
shutdown. Tell them you want a federal budget that invests in
families, not fear." Here's more information on this part of Trump's
budget request: https://www.indivisibleguide.com/resource/defund-trumps-mass-deportation-machine/

The Trump administration is working on
undoing an overtime pay rule which was initially set to go into effect
December 2016 http://reut.rs/2tZfWFX Under the new rule, the maximum
salary one could receive in order to qualify for legally mandated overtime
pay would have increased to $47,000, double the current threshold. The
current salary limit for mandated overtime pay is simply not sufficient;
it does not account for different costs of living across the country, and
has not been adjusted for inflation since the threshold was set, in 2004.
The Labor Department has just put out a Request For Information, where we
can share our thoughts on the current minimum salary threshold; all
comments will be due by September
25th. Let's be sure to read through the Department of
Labor's eleven concerns with a very critical eye, then share our thoughts
by leaving a comment https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=WHD-2017-0002-0001

ALL: From one of our own: The MA Supreme Judicial Court has ruled
that state and local court officials & police CANNOT cooperate with
ICE by complying with immigrant detainers when criminal charges have not
been filed. http://www.wbur.org/news/2017/07/24/sjc-ruling-sreynoun-lunn-case Let’s advance this same kind of program
in our own states.

UT: This Saturday, July 29, Utah's largest unions will join
with political advocates to stage a march in downtown Salt Lake City in
support of public education. http://www.sltrib.com/home/5549228-155/responding-to-policies-from-trump-and The
event is scheduled to begin at the downtown City Library, 210 E. 400
South, at 10 a.m. before moving across
the street to the City and County Building. If we are Utahn's for public
education and we can fit this march in our plans, let's try to
attend.

Senator
Mazie Hirono (D-HI) is recovering from her second surgery for stage 4 kidney
cancer. She went to the senate on Tuesday, July 25th and voted NO to
protect the health insurance of 20+ million people. She did not get a
standing ovation or time to make a speech with Television coverage.
She made a speech against the health care bill on June 27 before her own
cancer surgery. https://www.attn.com/stories/18493/other-senator-fighting-cancer-who-voted-against-tuesdays-motion Let's send a note of thanks and/or a
card to wish her well in her battle c/o her Hawaii Office, 300
Ala Moana Blvd. Rm. 3-106, Honolulu, HI 96850

"Indiana has purged
nearly a half-million registered voters from its rolls since Election Day.
The purge is part of a massive effort to update the state's voter rolls
after years of improper maintenance and neglect, Indiana Secretary of
State Connie
Lawson said.
Since the November elections, 481,235 registered voters have been taken
off the list." http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/329659-indiana-purges-nearly-half-a-million-from-voter-rollsThis
article is from April but a great reminder to all of us to check that we
are still registered to vote in our own states. If we missed voting in an
election, let’s check that we are still registered and if not, register
again before the 2018 elections. Let’s remind our friends and family. We
need all of our voices and use our votes. If we have family in Indiana, let’s
advise them to check out their voter registration.

From one of our own: Last week, the Department of
Homeland Security sent private contractors to the National Butterfly Center (NBC), where they began to
survey the land and to clear trees to build Trump's border wall--all
without the permission of the NBC, which is located on privately-owned
property. Trump's border wall threatens 30 million square feet of
vegetation along a 38-mile swath of land that includes the National
Butterfly Center, the 2,000+-acre Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge, and the
Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park. Support the
National Butterfly Center's legal defense fund by following the link below
and making a donation. No donation is too small to help protect the
wildlife that calls this land home
https://www.generosity.com/community-fundraising/stop-trump-s-border-wall

Marches/events to attend/organize

Saturday,
July 29, all over the country, there are “Our Lives are on the Line”
rallies being planned in opposition to the health care bill. Let’s see if there is one near us and
attend, or if not, let’s plan one:
http://ourlivesontheline.org/

Reading/Watching

If we’ve been wondering what
the Magnitsky Act and Russian adoptions have to do with the current state
of affairs with Russia (and Trump’s campaign) here is financier Bill
Browder’s written testimony for his Wednesday appearance
before the Senate Judiciary Committee and he walks through the history
(and his personal connection to Magnitsky) of how we got to today and who
the players are in the Don Trump Jr., Kushner, Manafort meeting in Trump
Tower: https://www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/534864/

Subscribe to Rogan's List

About Me

Rogan’s List is a daily, thoroughly vetted action list for people who are unhappy with the current administration and who want to become more politically involved, but do not have time for the research. The compiler, Susan Goodrich Rogan, is a retired librarian who has worked in university, community college, and elementary school libraries. She is the mother of eleven and the grandmother of nine..